Would you like to support young people between the ages of ten and seventeen in their development and accompany them on a formative stage of their educational journey? This is a varied and responsible task with which you can directly strengthen the future of our colourful society.
If you are enthusiastic about this and want to get involved, the BA in Secondary Education is the perfect place to start. Here you will build up fundamental skills and receive sound preparation for a career in education. The degree programme is also the basis for a teaching-related Master's degree, which will qualify you to work as a teacher at secondary modern and lower secondary schools, intermediate secondary schools and community schools.
As a secondary school teacher, you actively shape education and take on social responsibility. You give young people guidance and change biographies. The B.A. Sek I is therefore more than just a degree programme - it is the start of a career with impact. We are looking for bright minds, strong personalities and real commitment.
Teachers at secondary, lower secondary and comprehensive schools are in demand. By opting for the B.A. Sek I, you are taking the first step towards a profession with long-term prospects, stable employment, clear career paths and the option of becoming a civil servant.
Through two internships - an orientation internship and a professional internship - you can put your theoretical knowledge directly into practice during your studies. You will be closely supervised. Our large network of training schools guarantees valuable insights and practical experience, including abroad.
The Bachelor's degree programme in Secondary Education (relating to the teaching profession at lower secondary level) is geared towards the education and upbringing of ten to seventeen-year-olds, who have different cognitive, linguistic and cultural needs and prerequisites. You will later help all these young people to gain a solid general education on the second stage of their education and prepare them for a vocational qualification or further school education.
To enable you to respond well to this diversity in the classroom, your degree programme is not just about subject-specific science, didactics and methodology in your two teaching subjects. You will also deal intensively with topics such as interculturality, diagnostics and resource support - because these are precisely the skills you need to successfully implement inclusive and differentiated learning programmes in heterogeneous learning groups.
You also want to be able to deal confidently with current topics and methods in everyday school life. To do this, you will develop important interdisciplinary skills - for example in teaching German as a second language, media skills and media education or education for sustainable development. The degree programme also prepares you for professional and ethical issues. The development of personal skills is therefore a central part of your degree programme.
On this Bachelor's degree programme, you will choose two subjects - usually the subjects you will teach later if you want to work as a teacher. On the one hand, the degree programme teaches you the subject-specific science, didactics and methodology of these two subjects. On the other hand, it introduces you to educational science content and places a strong focus on overarching skills that prepare you specifically for integrative and inclusive work with heterogeneous learning groups.
Standard period of study: 6 semesters
The degree programme comprises 180 credit points. One credit point corresponds to around 30 hours of student work (attendance, preparation and follow-up work, self-study, examination).
Due to the two individually selectable subjects, many different combinations are possible. For this reason, there is also a module handbook tailored to the respective subject combination, which contains the respective study and examination regulations. You can find the module handbook for your personal combination of subjects at ISI, the Individual Study Information.
In the B. A. Sek I, you will study the following compulsory areas of study as part of the teacher training programme:
- Educational sciences
- Practical school studies (internships)
- Comprehensive area of study
In addition, you will choose two subjects that you can teach later - after your Bachelor's, Master's and teacher training - as a teacher. It is a good idea to choose two subjects that you are personally interested in and that you would like to inspire others with. Find out about the respective requirements on the subject pages:
You will complete a three-week orientation internship and a three-week professional internship during your studies so that you can apply the theoretical foundations of your degree programme directly in practice. You will gain valuable practical school experience at our training schools. Thanks to our large network, you can also do your work placement abroad.
To the Centre for Practical School Studies
The degree programme offers you the opportunity to integrate a stay abroad into your studies - either via an exchange programme or self-organised. If you would like to venture beyond Germany, you can study abroad for one or two semesters at a university or complete an internship, for example.
The International Office can provide you with information and advice on the various options and scholarship programmes.
To the International Office
You will graduate with the academic degree "Bachelor of Arts (B. A.)". This degree qualifies you for a career in an educational field such as educational and family counselling, all-day school supervision or in educational centres. Important: After completing this degree programme, you are not yet a teacher!
If you would like to teach as a teacher at secondary modern and lower secondary schools, intermediate secondary schools and community schools, you can continue your qualification with the Master's degree programme in Secondary Level I Teaching (M. Ed. Sek I). You can also study this programme with us at the Heidelberg University of Education.
We work closely with Heidelberg University on the secondary level: This is a joint degree programme with the profile lines Teaching Qualification Secondary Level I and Teaching Qualification Grammar School. Your advantage: with us, you will acquire comprehensive and practical expertise in subject didactics and educational sciences, while at the university you will deepen your knowledge in the subject sciences - combining the best of both worlds to create a strong foundation for your career start in secondary education.
With this Master's degree, you will be able to work as a teacher at lower secondary level after the 18-month preparatory service (traineeship).
Studying to becomea teacher at the PHHD for the M. Ed. secondary level I teacher training programme
